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Copoii  School  Englis! 


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A  GRADED  SERIES  OF  LANGUAGE  LES- 
SONS, FOR  THE  USE  OF  TEACHERS 
OF    PRIMARY    SCHOOLS. 


BY 
Head  Inspecting  Teacher  of  the  San  Francisco  Schools; 


Author  of  "Pure  English,'' -etc. 


SAN  FRANCISCO: 
Samuel  Carson  it  Co.,  Pi  hi.i'^mi  k- 

1S87. 


Copyright  by 

James  G.  KEnuEDY  and  Fred.  H.  Hackett, 

1887. 


EDUCATIOI^  OErtu 


PREFACE. 


A  READY  and  accurate  use  of  English  is  acquired  only  by 
actual  practice  in  speaking  and  writing  it.  Any  method  that 
provides  for  the  continuous  use  of  the  language  is,  consequently, 
a  good  one. 

To  suggest,  by  a  graded  scries  of  typical  lessons,  such  a 
method  is  the  purpose  of  this  little  book.  It  is  submitted, 
therefore,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  assist  those  who  desire 
to  adopt  a  more  practical  plan  of  teaching  English,  in  pri- 
mary classes. 

All  the  lessons  in  the  book  are  based  upon  a  conscientious 
study  of  the  San  Francisco  schools.  To  principals  and  teachers, 
who  have  kindly  aided  them  in  the  numerous  experimental 
exercises  held  in  the  class-rooms,  the  authors,  here,  make  their 
most  grateful  acknowledgments. 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,June,  1887. 


54!  61)6 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2008  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.arcliive.org/details/commonsclioolenglOOjamericli 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  purpose  of  these  exercises  is  to  give  teachers 
a  simi)le,  well-arranged  method  of  teaching  language 
in  primary  classes. 

Each  year's  work  is  given  in  a  separate  section,  so 
that  teachers  may  know  just  what  to  do,  at  any  time 
during  the  entire  course. 

During  the  first  year,  or  until  pupils  have  learned  to 
write,  the  composition  work  must,  of  necessity,  be 
mostly  oral.  Before  learning  to  7cW/'<r,  pupils  should 
talk  compositions,  telling,  in  short,  connected  sen- 
tences, what  they  know  about  any  given  subject. 
Teachers  should  place  these  oral  compositions  upon  the 
blackboard  and  read  them  to  the  class,  to  show  pupils 
what  they  can  do,  and  thus  encourage  them  to  greater 
efforts  in  story-telling,  picture-describing,  etc. 

During  the  second  year,  or  as  soon  as  pupils  have 
learned  to  write,  written  composition  should  be  added 
to  the  oral  work.     This  change  is  easily  made  after 


vi  Introduction. 


pupils  have  learned  to  talk  in  connected  sentences. 
Writing  is  simply  talking  on  paper. 

Pupils  should  not  be  allowed  to  attempt  either  an 
oral  or  a  written  composition  until  they  have  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  subject.  To  develop  such  a 
knowledge  in  pupils,  teachers  should  hold  familiar 
talks  with  them  upon  the  different  subjects  treated. 

A  thorough  course  in  social  2,ndi  business  forms  and 
correspondence  has  been  introduced.  Many  pupils 
leave  school  after  completing  the  primary  course,  and 
it  is,  therefore,  important  that  they  should  be  instructed 
in  these  subjects.  Besides,  it  is  just  as  easy  to  teach 
English  through  writing  letters,  as  through  general 
composition  exercises.  Teachers  should  see  that  pu- 
pils are  drilled  until  they  thoroughly  understand  both 
these  subjects. 

No  separate  lessons  are  given  either  in  capital  let- 
ters or  pu7ictuation.  These  subjects  should  be  taught, 
incidentally,  in  connection  with  the  composition  work 
as  it  proceeds.  Every  lesson  in  English  should  in- 
clude the  proper  use  of  capital  letters  and  punctua- 
tion marks. 

All  exercises  should  be  corrected,  during  school 
hours,  by  the  pupils,  under  the  supervision  of   the 


Introduction.  vii 


teacher.  Pupils  will  thus  be  trained  intelligently  to 
criticise  one  another's  work,  and,  eventually,  their  own. 
Nothing  is  accomplished  by  the  home  criticism  of 
written  exercises.  Such  criticism  is  of  no  benefit  to 
pupils.  It  is  simply  a  waste  of  time  and  energy,  on 
the  part  of  teachers.  What  pupils  need,  is  personal 
criticism  from  teachers.  This  can  be  had  only  in  the 
class-room,  where  the  teacher  is  enabled  to  give  per- 
sonal supervision  to  the  work  of  the  pupils.  Again, 
we  say,  do  not  correct  written  exercises  at  home^  but 
have  them  corrected  in  the  class-room  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  teacher. 

It  must  not  be  imagined,  from  what  is  said  above, 
that  teachers  are  not  to  have  any  home  work.  There 
is  plenty  of  such  work  for  them  aside  from  the  cor- 
rection of  written  exercises.  It  consists  in  the  prep- 
aration of  the  lessons  of  the  coming  day,  so  that 
they  may  be  presented  in  a  simple,  objective  way  to 
the  class.  This  is  pleasant  work;  growing  work,  by 
which  both  teacher  and  pupil  are  greatly  benefited. 


CONTENTS. 
FIRST  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

PAGE. 

General  Directions 13 

Lesson  I,  Statement  Making .* 14 

Lesson  II,  Conversation  on  the  Cat 17 

Lesson  III,   Conversation  on  a  Picture — ^^ Pussy  and  the 

Birdr 20 

Lesson  IV,  Conversation  on  What  Was  Seen  on  the  Way 

to  School— "T:*^'  Candy  ManT 22 

Lesson  V,  Conversation  on  an  Object — *^^ Leather''' 26 

Lesson   VI,   Objects — Data  for  Conversations  on   Water^ 

Glass.  Tea,  Milk  and  Salt 27 

SECOND  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

General  Directions 33 

Lesson  I,  Sentence  Making 34 

Lesson  II,  Filling  of  Blanks 35 

Lesson  III,  Dictations,  Transposition,  Etc 35 

Lesson  IV,  Combination  of  Statements  into  Sentences. .  .  36 
Lesson    V,    Reproduction    Exercises — ''^The   Fox  and  the 

Grapes"  "  The  Foolish  Croiv  " .    38 

Lesson  VI,  Oral  Information — Sugar^  IVool,  Wheat,  Coffee, 

Vinegar 39 

Lesson  VII,  Written  Compositions — ''Children  at  School" 

"What  I  Do  at  Home;'  ''What  I  Saw  on  My  Way 

to  School"  "The  Snmv-storm  " 42 


Contents. 


THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

PAGE. 

General  Directions 49 

Lesson  I,  vSentence  Making 50 

Lesson  II,  Pilling  of  Blanks,  Construction  and  Transposi- 
tion of  Sentences 50 

Lesson  III,  Dictations,  Etc 51 

Lesson  IV,  Combination  of  Sentences 52 

Lesson  V,  Specimen  Reproduction — ^'' The  Foolish  Fox"..,  53 
Lesson  VI,   Tales  for  Reproduction — "7'/;^  Dog  and  His 
Shado^u^'   ''The  Boy  and  the  Wolf;'  ''The  Cruel  Chil- 
dren;' ''The  Giant  GirVs  Toy'' 55 

Lesson  VII,  Letter  Writing— Friendly  Letters 58 

Lesson  VIII,  Oral  Information — Gold,  Sheep,  Tin,  Camels, 

Starch 63 

Lesson  IX,  Orig*nal  Descriptions — ''The  Fireside,"  "Piiss 
and  the  Bird" 66 

FOURTH  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

General  Directions 75 

Lesson  I,  Subject  and  Predicate,  Etc 76 

Lesson  II,  Nouns,  Identification  of 77 

Lesson  III,  Nouns,  Singular  and  Plural  Forms  of 78 

Lesson  IV,  Nouns,  Possessive  Forms  of 80 

Lesson  V,  Combination  of  Sentences 81 

Lesson  VI,  Friendly  Letter  Writing 82 

Lesson  VII,  Social  Forms — Notes  of  Invitation,  Letters  of 

Introduction. 84 

Lesson  VIII,  Business   Forms— Letters    of   Application, 

Bills,  Receipts 85 

Lesson  IX,  A  Series  of  Business  Letters— (i)  Opening  Bus- 
iness; (2)  Credit  Established  ;  (3)  Goods  Ordered  ;  (4) 
Advice  of  Shipment ;  {5)  Goods  Received;  (6)  Payment 

Acknowledged 87 

Lesson  X,  Oral   Information— ^^^Z^-^,   Elephants,   Hemp, 

Lions,  Iron 90 

Lesson  XI,  Reproduction  Tales— "r>^^  Wonderful  Soup 
Pot,"  "Star  Dollars,"  "Baby's  Sail  on  the  Brook,"  "Self- 
ish Harry,"  "The  Mischievous  Parrot " 94 

Lesson  XII,  Compositions— "6'ra«^a'j  Darling" 98 


£«L. 


-% 


FIRST  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 


FIRST  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL 


The  instruction  in  language,  during  the  first 
year  at  school,  is  almost  entirely  oral.  It  is 
conducted  upon  a  conversational  basis,  for  the 
purpose  of  teaching  the  pupils  to  talk  well, 
rather  than  to  zvrite. 

Pupils  are  expected  to  progress  from  oral,  to 
written  composition  as  soon  as  they  have  learned 
to  write.  Teachers,  when  pupils  have  learned 
to  write,  should  be  careful  to  put  upon  the  black- 
board every  neiv  word  in  the  exercise,  so  that 
pupils  need  not  make  any  mistakes  in  spelling. 

Have  pupils,  in  the  beginning,  construct  short, 
simple  sentences  from  given  words  in  the  reader; 
also  from  words  of  their  own  selection. 

Lead  the  children  to  talk  daily  about  familiar 
objects,  the  subjects  of  their  reading  lessons,  what 
they  see,  and  what  they  do. 

Require  them  always  to  express  their  thoughts 
in  sentences.  Correct  all  faulty  expressions  used 
in  the  class-room. 


14  Common   School   English. 

Teach  that  every  sentence  should  begin 

WITH  A  CAPITAL  LETTER  ;  that  EVERY  STATE- 
MENT SHOULD  END  WITH  A  PERIOD ;  and  that 
EVERY  QUESTION  SHOULD  END  WITH  A  QUES- 
TION MARK. 

Teachers  should  always  remember  that  their 
fundamental  purpose  is  to  AWAKEN  AND  DE- 
VELOP THE  children's  POWERS  OF  OBSERVA- 
TION, THOUGHT,  AND  EXPRESSION,  BY  TRAIN- 
ING THEM  TO  SEE,  TO  THINK,  AND  TO  TALK. 


LESSON  I. 

STATEMENT    MAKING. 

The  teacher  selects  two  words,  for  example, 
"  fly  "  and  "  birds,"  and  writes  them  thus  upon  the 

blackboard: 

fly     birds 

Teacher— ^\\^S.  have  i  written,  children? 

Pupils — Fly  and  birds. 

T. — What  are  fly  and  birds? 

P. — They  are  words. 

j^ — Do  they  tell  anything  about  birds? 

P. — They  do  not. 


Statement   Making.  15 

T. — Who  can  say  these  words  so  that  they 
will  tell  something  about  birds? 

/^.— Birds  fly. 

T. — This  [writing  on  the  blackboard]  says 
something  about  birds,  or  makes  a  statement 
about  birds.  You  see,  children,  that  this  state- 
ment begins  ivitli  a  capital  letter,  and  ends  zvith  a 
period.  You  have  told  me  that  birds  fly,  but 
how  would  you  ask  me  if  the  birds  fly? 

/'.—Do  birds  fly?     Can  birds  fly? 

T. — That  [writing  on  the  blackboard]  is  cor- 
rect. You  see  that  this  question  also  begins 
with  a  capital  letter,  but  ends  with  a  question 
mark.  This  [pointing  to  birds  fly]  is  a  very 
short  statement.  Now,  let  us  see  if  we  can  make 
a  longer  one.  Who  can  make  a  statement  from 
[writing  them  on  the  blackboard]  these  words? 
fly  birds  high 

P.— Birds  fly  high. 

T. —  Who  can  change  these  words  around  so 
as  to  make  them  ask  if  the  birds  Jly  high  ? 

P. — Do  birds  fly  high?     Can  birds  fly  high? 

r.— Do  all  birds  fly  high? 

P.—^o. 

T.—No!    Nozvhat? 

P.— AW  birds  do  not  fly  high. 


16  Common   School   English. 


T. — That's  a  statement.     Who  can  tell   me 
that  all  birds  do  not  fly  high,  and  use  [writing 
on  the  blackboard]  these  words? 
birds  high  fly  some 

P. — Some  birds  fly  high. 

T. —  Who  can  change  this  statement  into  a 
question  ? 

P. — Do  some  birds  fly  high?  Can  some 
birds  fly  high? 

Give  similar  lessons,  using  the  following 
groups  of  words: — 

1.  bark,  dogs. 

2.  horses,  fast,  run. 

3.  mice,  cats,  catch. 

4.  swim,  ducks. 

5.  honey,  can,  bees,  make. 

6.  children,  study,  lessons,  their,  good. 

7.  hat,  new,  she,  a,  has. 

8.  dolls,  play,  girls,  with. 

9.  boys,  ball,,  play,  to,  like,  and,  marbles. 

10.  Ida,  dress,  a,  sister,  gave,  her,  dear,  May, 
blue,  silk. 

Continue  to  give  exercises  in  the  construction 
of  statements  and  questions,  as  here  illustrated, 
using  words  from  the  reading  lessons,  through- 
out the  year. 


Conversation  on  the  Cat.  17 


LESSON   II. 

CONVERSATION  ON   THE  CAT. 

Teac/ier — Who  can  tell  me  something  about 
a  cat? 

Pupil — The  cat  is  an  animal. 

T. — What  kind  of  an  animal? 

P. — It  is  a  tame  animal. 

T. — Where  does  it  live? 

P. — It  lives  in  houses. 

T. — Has  the  cat  any  feet? 

P.—Y&s. 

T. — How  many? 

P. — Four  feet. 

T. — Well,  say  it  all.     What  has  four  feet  ? 

P. — The  cat  has  four  feet. 

T. — What  else  has  it  ? 

P. — It  has  whiskers. 

r.~What  else? 

P. — It  has  fur  on  its  back. 

T. — What   do  we  call    the    fur  on    the  cat's 
back? 

/^.— Its  coat. 

T. — What  kind  of  a  coat  ? 

P. — It  is  a  coat  of  fur. 

T. — Then,  we  will   call  it  a  furry  coat.     Of 
what  is  it  made  ? 
2 


18  Common   School   ENCiLisn. 


P, —  It  is  made  of  hair. 

T. — Then,  what  can  we  say  of  the  cat's 
coat  ? 

P. — It  has  a  furry  coat  of  hair. 

T. — Are  all  cats  of  the  same  color  ? 

/*.^Some  cats  are  white  and  some  are  black. 

T. — Does  the  cat  make  any  noise  when  it 
steps? 

P. — It  does  not. 

T. — How  does  it  step,  then  ? 

P. — The  cat  steps  very  softly. 

T. — What  kind  of  claws  has  it  ? 

P. — The  cat  has  sharp  claws,  which  it  can 
pull  in,  or  push  out  of  its  paws. 

T. — What  can  the  cat  do  ? 

P. — It  can  scratch. 

r— What  else  ? 

P. — It  can  climb. 

r.— What  else  ? 

P. — It  can  jump. 

T, — Now,  what  can  you  say  of  the  cat? 

P. — The  cat  can  scratch,  climb,  and  jump. 

T. — Of  what  good  is  it  ? 

P. — It  is  good  for  catching  rats  and   mice. 

T. — What  do  we  call  little  cats? 

P. — Little  cats  are  called  kittens 


Conversation  on  the  Cat.  19 

T. — Are  they  of  any  use? 

P. — They  are  pets. 

T. — What  kind  of  pets? 

P. — Kittens  are  playful  pets. 

T. — Who  likes  to  play  with  kittens? 

Pupils — I  do.     We  do.     Boys  and  girls  do. 

After  the  facts  have  been  thus  developed,  by 
a  conversational  lesson,  individual  pupils  should 
be  required  to  tell,  in  simple,  connected  sentences, 
all  they  know  about  the  cat. 

Following  is  the  result  of  the  lesson : 

THE     CA'l'. 

The  cat  is  a  tame  animal.  It  lives  in  houses. 
The  cat  has  four  feet.  It  has  whiskers  and  a 
furry  coat  of  hair.  Some  cats  are  white  and 
some  are  black.  The  cat  steps  very  softly.  It 
has  sharp  claws,  which  it  can  pull  in,  or  push 
out  of  its  paws.  The  cat  can  scratch,  cl'mb, 
and  jump.  It  is  good  for  catching  rats  and 
mice.  Little  cats  are  called  kittens.  They  are 
playful  pets  for  boys  and  girls. 

Teachers  should  prepare  themselves,  and,  in 
similar  conversational  lessons,  develop  some 
familiar  facts  about  the  dog,  the  hen,  the  cow, 
the  horse,  and  such  other  common  animals  as 
their  time  will  warrant. 


20  Common   School   English. 

LESSON  III. 

CONVERSATION   ON  A  PICTURE. 

Teacher — Who  can  give  me  a  name  for 
[showing  to  the  class]  this  picture  ? 

Pupils — The  Two  Pets.  The  Bird  Catcher. 
Pussy  and  the  Bird. 

T. — Pussy  and  the  Bird  will  do.  Now,  look 
at  the  picture  and  tell  me  what  you  see  ? 

P. — I  see  a  girl.      I  see  a  cat.     I  see  a  cage. 

T. — By  what  name  shall  we  call  the  girl  ? 

P. — Call  the  girl  Dolly.  Her  name  is  Ida 
Hdr  name  is  Nellie. 

T. — Dolly  will  do.  Give  me  a  name  for  the 
cat. 

P. — The  cat's  name  is  Pinkie.  The  cat's 
name  is  Tabby. 

T. — We  will  take  Tabby,  but  we  must  also 
have  a  name  for  the  bird. 

P. — The  bird  is  named  Tom.  The  bird's 
name  is  Will.     The  bird's  name  is  Dick. 

T.—We  will  call  the  girl,  Dolly  ;  the  cat, 
Tabby;  and  the  bird,  Dick.  Look  again  and 
tell  me  what  they  are  doing. 

P. — Dick  is  in  the  cage.  Tabby  is  climbing 
up  Dolly's  dress  trying  to  get  him. 


(Conversation  on  a  Picture.  21 

7". — How  is  Dolly  dressed  ? 

P. — She  has  on  a  blue,  silk  dress,  with  short 
sleeves,  a  red  sash,  red  stockings  and  black  slip- 
p  rs. 

T. — What  else  can  you  say  about  her? 

/-*. — She  has  lone;,  curly  hair  and  rosy  checks. 

r. — Hasn't  she  something  in  her   hands? 

P. — Dolly  is  holding  a  bird-cage  in  her  hands, 
very  high,  and  is  smiling  at  Tabby. 

T. — You've  not  told  me  much  about   Dick. 

/'. — Dick  is  a  canary  bird.  He  is  flying 
around  in  his  cage  and  looks  scared. 

r.— What  about  the  cat  ? 

P. — Tabby  is  standing  on  her  hind  legs,  try- 
ing to  get  at  Dick.  She  looks  like  a  Maltese 
cat. 

T. — What  will  Tabby  do  to  Dick  if  she  gets 
him  ? 

P. — She  will  kill  him.     She  will  eat  him. 

T. — That  would  be  too  bad,  but  I  don't  think 
Dolly  will  let  Tabby  get  Dick. 

When  the  conversation  is  concluded,  the 
teacher,  after  reading  them,  .should  erase  the 
responses,  which  have  been  written  on  the  black- 
board, and  call  upon  individuals  in  the  class  for 


22  Common   School   English. 

oral  descriptions.     Following  is  a  specimen  of 
what  may  be  expected,  near  the  end  of  the  year  : 

PUSSY     AND    THE    BIRD. 

Dolly,  Tabby  and  Dick  are  out  on  the  grass. 
Dolly  has  a  cage  in  her  hands.  Tabby  is  trying 
to  get  Dick.  Dick  is  very  much  afraid.  Dolly 
has  curly  hair  and  rosy  cheeks.  She  has  on  a 
silk  dress  and  a  red  sash  around  her  waist. 
Dick  is  a  canary  bird.  Tabby  is  a  Maltese  cat. 
Dolly  has  red  stockings  and  black  slippers. 

MoRTiE  Meyer, 

Emerson  Primary  School,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Give  like  lessons  with  other  pictures.  Colored 
pictures  are  preferable. 


LESSON   IV. 

CONVERSATION  ON  WHAT  WAS  SEEN  ON   THE 
WAY  TO   SCHOOL. 

Following  is  the  result  of  a  conversational 
lesson,  with  pupils,  about  what  they  had  seen  on 
their  way  to  school.  The  facts  were  developed, 
as  illustrated  in  the  preceding  lessons;  the 
teacher's  questions  being  intended  to  suggest 
merely  a  logical  arrangement  of  ideas: 


PUSSY   AND   THE    BIRI>. 


0  15  J  K  C  T  S  .  25 

THE    CANDY    MAN. 

I  saw  an  old  man,  this  morning,  at  the  school 
gate.  He  tries  to  make  all  the  money  he  can, 
by  selling  can  iy.  His  clothes  were  very  shabby. 
He  sits  on  the  steps  every  morning,  with  his 
basket  on  his  lap.  He  is  lame  and  walks  with  a 
cane.  I  said:  "  Good-morning,"  and  he  bowed 
his  head.  He  is  very  poor  and  has  to  sell  candy 
for  a  living.  When  I  .see  him,  it  always  makes 
me  feel  sad.  He  had  some  chocolate  creams, 
some  peppermint  drops,  and  some  chocolate 
sticks  in  the  basket.  I  bought  two  long  sticks 
of  chocolate  and  gave  my  sister  one.  The 
candy  was  very  sweet  and  nice.  Sometimes, 
children  eat  too  much  candy  and  get  sick. 

These  lessons  may  be  repeated,  at  any  time, 
and  will  always  give  original  results.  Require 
pupils,  in  like  manner,  to  talk  about  what  they 
do  at  home. 


LESSON   V. 

CONVERSATION   ON   AN   OBJECT. 
Teacher — What's  this  I  hold  in  my  hand  ? 
Pupils — It  is  a  piece  of  leather. 
T. — From  what  is  it  made  ? 
/^ — It  is  made  from  the  skins  of  animals. 


26  Common   School   English. 


.    T. — Give  me  another  word  for  skins. 

P. — Leather  is  made  from  the  hides  of  ani- 
mals. 

T. — What  animals  ? 

P. — Cows.     Sheep.     Goats.     Oxen. 

T. —  TJien  why  don't  you  say  so  ? 

P. — Leather  is  made  from  the  hides  of  cows, 
sheep,  oxen  and  goats. 

T. — (writing  the  statement  on  the  black- 
board) How  is  it  made? 

P. — They  scrape  the  hair  off  the  hides  with 
a  sharp  knife. 

T. — They  !      Who  are  they  ? 

P. — Men  scrape  the  hair  off  the  hides  with  a 
sharp  knife. 

T. — (writing)  What  next? 

P. — They  soak  them  in  bark  water. 

r.— Well? 

P. — They  lay  them  in  the  sun  to  dry. 

T. —  WJio  can  put  these  last  two  statements 
into  one  ? 

P. — Then,  they  soak  them  in  bark  water  and 
lay  them  in  the  sun  to  dry. 

T. — (writing)  What  do  we  call  the  hides, 
when  the  men  are  through  with  them  ? 

P. — The  hides  are  then  called  leather. 

T. — (writing)  For  what  is  leather  used  ? 


O  IJ  J  K  C  T  S 


P. — It  is  used  for  making  boots  and  shoes 
and  for  binding  books. 

T. — (writing)  Now,  let  us  read  what  you 
have  told  me  about  [writing  the  title] 

LEATHER. 

L  eather  is  made  from  the  hides  of  cows,  sheep 
oxen  and  goats.  Men  scrape  the  hair  off  the 
hides  with  a  sharp  knife.  Then,  they  soak  them 
in  bark  water  and  lay  them  in  the  sun  to  dry 
The  hides  are  then  called  leather.  It  is  used  for 
making  boots  and  shoes,  and  for  binding  books. 


LESSON   VI. 

OBJECTvS. 

E  mbody,  in  conversational  lessons,  the  follow 
ing  information  about  water,  glass,  tea,  milk 
and  salt.  Then,  have  pupils  talk  compositions, 
by  telling  all  they  have  learned  about  each 
object. 

WATER. 

The  people  in  this  world  could  not  live  with- 
out water.  We  drink  it  when  we  are  thirsty 
and  bathe  in  it  when  we  wish  to  be  clean.  Rain 
water  comes  from  the  clouds.     The  water  in  the 


28  Common   School   English. 

sea  is  salt  There  is  three  times  as  much  water 
as  land  upon  the  earth.  Pure  water  is  clear  and 
colorless.  When  we  travel,  we  often  sail  upon 
the  water  in  ships  and  steamers.  From  boiling 
water,  we  get  steam,  which  makes  the  cars  on  the 
railroads  go  so  fast.  We,  also,  use  water  to  make 
tea  and  coffee,  and  to  cook  meats  and  vegetables. 
Water  makes  things  grow  that  are  planted  in 
the  earth.  It  puts  out  fires.  When  the  weather 
is  very  cold,  water  freezes.  Then,  it  is  called 
ice. 

GLASS. 

Glass  is  hard,  clear  and  smooth.  It  is  easily 
broken.  Glass  is  used  in  making  windows, 
dishes,  bottles,  vases,  etc.  It  is  a  great  con- 
ductor of  heat.  The  glass  used  in  spectacles  is 
called  magnifying  glass  and  makes  things  look 
larger  to  us  than  they  would  if  seen  without  the 
glass.  By  looking  through  the  telescope,  we  see 
and  learn  much  about  the  stars  and  moon. 

TEA. 

The  tea  plant  will  grow  in  both  warm  and 
cold  countries.  The  leaves  are  gathered,  dried 
in  the  sun,  and  then  moistened  by  steam.  They 
are  next  laid  upon  metal  plates  and  exposed  to 
considerable  heat.     The  best  tea    is   grown    in 


Objects.  29 


China  and  Japan.  The  plant  will  not  give  a 
crop  of  tea  until  it  is  three  years  old.  When  it 
has  lived  thirty  years,  the  plant  dies.  The  peo- 
ple of  Europe  and  America  have  been  using  tea 
about  two  hundred  years,  but  it  was  in  use  long 
before  that  among  the  Chinese  and  Japanese. 
We  have  black  tea  and  green  tea.  When 
steeped  in  water,  tea  makes  an  excellent  drink. 

MILK. 

Milk  is  a  white,  sweet  and  wholesome  liquid 
We  get  it  from  cows,  goats  and  camels.  The 
milk  of  cows  is  generally  used  by  us.  Very 
rich  and  thick  milk  is  called  cream.  We  cannot 
see  through  milk,  as  we  can  through  water 
because  water  is  clear,  but  milk  is  not.  From 
milk,  we  make  butter  and  cheese.  We,  also,  use 
milk  in  our  tea  and  coffee  and  in  cooking. 
Most  children  like  to  drink  milk. 

SALT. 

Salt  is  a  white^ sparkling  substance.  It  comes 
from  wells,  springs,  the  sea  and  mines  in  the 
earth.  We  put  salt  on  our  meats  and  vegetables 
to  make  them  taste  better.  Salt  will,  also,  keep 
meats  and  fi.sh  from  spoiling.  The  sea  contains 
a  great  deal  of  salt.  Salt  water  will  not  freeze 
so  soon  as  fresh  water. 


SECOND  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 


"K<I? 


SECOND  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL 


The  method  of  instruction,  begun  in  the  first 
year,  is  continued  upon  a  slightly  advanced 
scale  in  the  second  year. 

Pupils  are  nozu  trained  to  write ^  as  well  as  to 
talk,  and  to  use  correctly,  i?i  sijriple  sentences,  capi- 
tal letters,  periods,  question  marks,  exclamation 
points  and  apostrophes. 

Give  exercises  in  the  writing  of  paragraphs, 
from  dictation,  and  the  filling  of  blanks,  in  sen- 
tences, with  suitable  words.  Let  pupils  fre- 
quently copy  their  reading  lessons. 

Drill  the  children  in  the  oral  and  ivritten 
reproduction  of  short  stories.  Require  them  to 
construct  original  statements,  questiofis  a7id excla- 
mations. 

Teach  the  combination  of  two  and  three  iyide- 
pendent  statements  into  a  single  sejitence,  and  con- 
tinue this  exercise  throughout  the  year. 

I^icts  about  objects  arc  developed  by  conver- 
3 


34  Common    School   English. 

sational  lessons  (as  illustrated  in  the  lessons  of 
the  First  Year  at  School)  before  calling  upon 
individuals  in  the  class,  for  connected  statements. 


LESSON   I. 

SBNTENCB     MAKING. 
Require  pupils    to  construct    sentences,    em- 
bodying the  words    in   each    of    the    following 
groups: 

1.  slate,  pencil. 

2.  laughs,  plays. 

3.  hat,  wind,  May's. 

4.  sheep,  field,  flock. 

5.  bloom,  garden,  flowers. 

6.  winter,  cold,  ice,  skate. 

7.  pulled,  boy,  water,  dog. 

8.  James,  ball,  Tom,  marbles. 

9.  lessons,  every,  school,  goes,  Ella. 

10.  Christmas,    Santa  Claus,  gives,    presents, 
children. 

Continue  this  exercise  throughout  the  year. 


Dictations,   Transposition,    Etc.  35 

LESSON  II. 

FILLING    OF    BLANKvS. 

Fill  the  following  blanks  with  suitable  words: 

1.  Nell  has  a . 

2.  Frank to  school. 

3.  Lucy  has  a doll. 

4.  Sugar sweet. 

5.  She  wore  a dress. 

6.  play  ball. 

7.  The bee  makes  honey. 

8.  Harry in  the  wagon. 

9.  The can  swim. 

10.  Girls rope. 

Give,  frequently,  similar  exercises. 


LESSON   III. 

DICTATIONS,  TRANSPOSITION,  ETC. 

Give  frequent  dictations,  like  the  following  : 

Tom  was  a   good,  little  boy.      He  lived    in 

Boston.     He  went  to  school  on  week  days  and 

to  church  on  Sundays.     Christmas  eve,  he  hung 

up  his  stocking,  hoping  to  get  a  present  from 


36  Common   School   English. 

Santa  Claus.  When  he  got  up  the  next  morn- 
ing, he  looked  in  his  stocking  and  there  found 
a  fine  knife,  a  ball  and  a  book. 

Have  pupils  write  original  statements,  ques- 
tions and  exclamatory  sentences;  also  change 
statements  into  questions  and  questions  into  state- 
ments. 


LESSON    IV. 

COMBINATION     OF     STATEMENTS     INTO    SEN- 
TENCES. 

Teacher — Ida,  make  a  statement  about  a  doll. 

Ida — The  doll  is  pretty. 

T. — Nellie,  you  make  another  statement 
about  the  doll. 

Nellie — It  has  on  a  white  hat. 

T. — Who  can  put  these  two  statements  into 
one? 

Flora — The  doll  is  pretty  and  it  has  on  a 
white  hat. 

T. — Who  can  make  a  shorter  statement? 

May — (after  considerable  hesitancy)  The 
pretty  doll  has  on  a  white  hat. 

T. — That's  better  [writing  on  the  black- 
board]: 


Combination  of  Statements. 


Ella  has  a  doll. 

It  is  a  bisqtie  doll. 

The  doll  is  dressed  in  blue. 

Who  can  make  one  statement  out  of  these 
three  ? 

/. — Ella  has  a  doll,  and  it  is  a  bisque  doll^ 
and  it  is  dressed  in  blue. 

T. — Oh!  you  have  too  many  "and's"  and 
"it's!" 

M. — Ella  has  a  bisque  doll  and  it  is  dressed 
in  blue. 

T. — Who  can  make  the  statement  and  not 
use  either  "  and  "  or  "  it"  ? 

N. — Ella  has  a  bisque  doll  dressed    in  blue. 

T. — That's  well  done. 

Combine  the  following  independent  state- 
ments into  sentences : 

1.  The  house  is  large. 

2.  \\.  is  painted  zuhite. 

1.  The  boy  is  idle. 

2.  He  is  lasy. 

1.  The  house  is  on  the  hill. 

2.  It  is  little. 

3.  It  is  broivn. 

I.  The  boy  ran  away  from  school. 


38  Common   School   English. 

2.  He  was  a  bad  boy. 

3.  He  was  a  sUipid  boy. 

1.  The  hills  are  covered  with  snow. 

2.  They  are  high. 

3.  The  hills  are  steep. 

Continue  this  exercise  throughout  the  year. 


LESSON   V. 

REPRODUCTION  EXERCISES. 

Tell,  or  read  short  stories,  like  the  following, 
and  have  them  reproduced  by  pupils,  using  their 
own  language  : 

THE    FOX    AND    THE    GRAPES. 

A  thirsty  fox,  one  warm  day,  saw  a  bunch  of 
fine  grapes  hanging  from  a  vine  at  the  top  of  a 
pole.  "  What  a  nice  dinner  I  might  have  if  I 
could  only  get  those  grapes,"  thought  the  fox. 
So  he  jumped  up  at  them  again  and  again,  but, 
finding,  at  last,  that  he  could  not  reach  the 
grapes,  he  went  away  thinking  to  himself  that 
he  would  not  eat  them,  even  if  they  were  lying 
on  the  ground,  because  they  were  so  sour. 


Oral   Ifornmation.  39 

the  foolish  crow. 

A  crow  once  stole  a  piece  of  cheese  from  the 
window  of  a  cottage,  and,  taking  it  in  her  bill, 
flew  away  to  the  top  of  a  tree.  A  fox  saw  the 
crow  and  thought  that  he  should  like  to  get  the 
cheese.  So,  he  said  to  her  :  "  Oh!  Mrs.  Ci:ow, 
how  beautiful  you  are!  I  have  never  heard  you 
sing,  but  if  your  voice  is  as  beautiful  as  your 
feathers  are,  it  must,  indeed,  be  charming."  The 
crow,  very  much  pleased,  opened  her  mouth  to 
sing  and  the  cheese  fell  to  the  ground.  The 
sly  fox  quickly  picked  it  up  and  ran  away, 
thinking  how  smart  he  was  and  how  foolish 
was  the  crow. 


LESSON   VI. 

ORAL  INFORMATION. 

Embody,  in  conversational  lessons,  the  fol- 
lowing information  about  sugar,  wool,  wheat, 
coffee  and  vinegar.  Then,  direct  pupils  to  write 
compositions  upon  each  of  these  subjects,  tell- 
ing what  they  have  learned  about  them: 


40  Common   School   Enolisii. 


SUGAR. 

Sugar  is  a  sweet,  vegetable  substance,  that 
comes  mostly  from  the  sugar-cane.  When  ripe, 
the  cane,  or  stem,  is  taken  to  the  mill,  where  the 
juice  is  extracted  from  it  and  boiled  and  strained 
repeatedly.  Finally,  the  sugar  cools,  and,  sep- 
arating from  the  molasses,  forms  into  grains 
The  raw  sugar,  as  it  is  then  called,  is  afterwards 
refined,  or  purified.  Sugar  will  dissolve  in 
water.  White  and  brown  are  the  common  col- 
ors of  sugar.  We  have  cube  sugar  and  crushed 
sugar.  In  making  candies,  pies,  cakes,  jellies, 
jams,  etc.,  sugar  is  largely  used. 

WOOL. 

Wool  is  the  covering  of  sheep.  In  the  sum- 
mer, it  is  sheared,  or  cut,  from  the  living  sheep. 
It  is  then  called  the  fleece.  After  the  raw  wool, 
which  is  very  soft  and  warm,  has  been  picked, 
assorted  and  cleaned,  it  is  combed,  carded  and 
spun  into  yarn  and  worsted.  The  combing, 
carding  and  spinning  are  done  by  machinery. 
Blankets,  flannels,  carpets  and  different  kinds 
of  clothing  are  manufactured  from  wool.  Where 
carded  wool  is  used,  the  goods  are  called  wool- 
ens; where  combed  wool  is  used,  the  goods  are 
called  worsteds. 


Oral   Information.  H 

WHEAT. 

Wheat  is  a  very  valuable  grain.  Farmers 
sow  their  land  with  wheat,  and,  when  it  has 
grown  quite  high,  and  has  become  ripe,  mow, 
or  cut  it  down.  The  wheat  is  then  threshed  and 
the  grain  separated  from  the  chaff,  or  winnowed. 
Next,  the  wheat  is  sent  to  the  mill  and  ground 
into  fine,  white  flour,  which  we  make  into  bread. 
The  United  States  produces  more  wheat  than 
any  other  country  in  the  world.  Wheat  is 
used  by  a  greater  number  of  people  than  any 
other  grain  except  rice. 

COFFEE. 

The  coffee  tree  grows  in  warm  countries. 
When  ripe,  the  beans,  or  coffee  berries,  are  gath- 
ered from  the  trees  and  placed  on  mats,  in  the 
sun,  to  dry.  When  the  tree  is  three  years  old,  it 
gives  a  crop  of  about  a  pound  of  coffee  beans. 
To  make  coffee  for  the  table,  we  roast  and  grind 
the  beans  and  mix  the  powder  with  boiling 
water.  Mocha  is  the  best  coffee.  Coffee  is  a 
refreshing  drink,  but  if  we  drink  it  too  strong, 
it  is  likely  to  make  us  nervous  and  keep  us 
awake. 

VINEGAR. 

Vinegar  is  an  orange- brown,  acid  liquid,  used 


42  Common   School   English. 

for  flavoring  food,  pickling,  and  sometimes  as 
medicine.  The  best  vinegar  is  made  from  wine 
It  is  also  made  from  cider.  If  we  use  too  much 
vinegar,  it  will  make  us  thin  and  dyspeptic. 
Vinegar  is  very  useful  and  may  be  seen  upon 
all  dining  tables. 


LESSON    VII. 

WRITTEN   COMPOSITIONS. 

Develop,  through  conversational  lessons, 
(First  Year  at  School)  compositions  upon  the 
camel,  the  lion,  the  elephant,  the  canary  bird 
and  the  rose;  also,  written  descriptions  of  pict- 
ures, etc. 

Papers,  like  the  following,  may  be  expected 
toward  the  close  of  the  year: 

CHILDREN    AT    SCHOOL. 

These  children  are  at  school.  One  of  them 
has  an  apple  and  is  dividing  it  with  another 
girl.  She  is  a  good  girl.  There  are  six  girls  in 
the  school-room.  It  is  recess  and  the  children 
are  at  play.  They  like  to  learn  as  well  as  play. 
All  have  on  clean,  white  aprons.  There  are  Lulu, 
Jennie,  Ruble,  Pearl  and  Mabel.     Little  May  is 


CHILDREN    AT  SCHOOL, 


Written   Composition.  45 

peeping  through  the  door.  Rubie  and  Pearl 
have  on  bronze  slippers.  The  others  have  shoes. 
Lulu  has  long,  golden  hair  and  the  rest  have 
light-brown  hair.  The  teacher's  name  is  Miss 
Piatt.  Eva  Dold, 

Lincoln  Primary  School,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

The  next  two  compositions  are  evidence  of 
what  children  can  do,  during  their  second  year 
at  school : 

WHAT    I    DO    AT    HOME. 

At  home,  I  help  my  mother.  I  sweep  the 
porch,  wipe  the  dishes,  clean  the  silver  and  do 
many  other  things  that  little  children  can  do  to 
help  their  parents.  I  also  practice  on  the  piano. 
I  generally  practice  two  hours  a  day.  I  have  a 
swing  and  a  doll.  I  have  nice  hats  and  hoods 
for  her.  I  have  a  doll's  checked  quilt  that  I  sew 
on  sometimes.  My  teacher  at  school  is  very 
kind  to  us  all.  ESTELLE  Weisheimer, 

Lincohi  Primary  School,  San  Fraficisco,  Cal. 

WHAT    I    SAW    ON    MY    WAY    TO    SCHOOL. 

One  day,  as  I  was  coming  to  school,  I  met  a 
lame  man.  He  was  very  shabbily  dressed.  He 
was  so  very  lame  that  he  looked  as  if  he  was  going 
to  fall  down.  Where  I  saw  this  man  was  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Howard  Streets.  As  he 
went  to  go  across  the  street,  he  fell  down  and 
two  or  three  men  ran  to  pick  him  up.  I  heard 
him  say  that  he  had  suffered  a  great  deal  with 


46  Common   School   English. 

his  legs,  yet,  he  had  to  suffer  still  more.  After 
the  man  was  up,  he  went  into  a  grocery  store 
and  sat  down  for  a  little  while.  An  express 
wagon  came  and  took  him  away.  I  also  saw  a 
lady  coming  out  of  a  car  with  a  small  baby  in 
her  arms.  She  was  a  careless  mother.  She  let 
her  child  fall  on  the  car  track  and  nearly  killed 
it.  Martha  Gray, 

Lincoln  Primary  School^  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Following  is  a  specimen  paper,  by  the  same 
writer,  based  upon  what  she  had  seen  and  ob- 
served: 

THE    SNOW-STORM. 

The  snow,  in  San  Francisco,  fell  on  Saturday 
morning  at  2  o'clock  and  ended  late  in  the 
afternoon.  The  boys  threw  snow-balls  all  day 
long.  We  have  not  had  snow  in  San  Francisco 
for  years,  until  last  Saturday.  The  snow  looked 
very  beautiful  on  the  hills  and  trees.  The 
Chinamen  dared  not  come  out,  for  they  were 
afraid  of  getting  hurt  with  snow-balls.  I  saw  a 
Chinaman  running  as  fast  as  he  could  and  about 
twelve  boys  running  after  him.  The  snow  falls 
very  often  in  the  Eastern  States,  but,  it  is  not 
common  in  San  Francisco. 

Martha  Gray, 

Lincoln  Primary  School,  San  Francisco,    Cal. 

Require  occasional,  original  papers  upon  sim- 
ilar topics. 


THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 


THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL 


Teach,  during  the  third  year  at  school,  the 
simple  uses,  in  sentences,  of  quotation  marks, 
capital  letters,  the  period,  the  question  mark,  the 
exclamation  point  and  the  apostrophe. 

Continue  the  exercises,  in  the  construction  of 
sentences,  the  filling  of  blanks,  dictations,  the 
reproduction  of  stories,  the  copying  of  reading 
lessons  and  the  combination  of  independent 
statements  into  sentences.  In  conversational 
lessons,  give  information  about  animals  and  ob- 
jects. 

Letter  zvriting  is  introduced,  principally,  for 
the  purpose  of  teaching  pupils  the  forms  of 
beginning,  ending  and  addressing  friendly  let- 
ters. 

Develop,  through  conversational  lessons,  pict- 
ures and  objects,  compositions  upon  the  do- 
mestic animals,  etc. 

4 


50  Common   School   English. 

LESSON   I. 

SENTENCE   MAKING. 
Direct  pupils  to  incorporate,  in  original  sen- 
tences, the  words  in  the  following  groups: 

1.  answer,  lad. 

2.  probably,  teacher,  punish. 

3.  gentleman,  surprised. 

4.  city,  live,  people,  country. 

5.  wicked,  lie,  quarrel. 

6.  industry,  virtues,  honesty,  respected. 

7.  horse,  man,  useful,  sheep,  animals. 

8.  rescued,  dog,  drowning,  girl,  river. 

9.  farmers,    earth,    miners,    cultivate,    gold, 
land. 

10.  letter,  New  York,  James,  vacation,  cousin, 
Frank. 


LESSON   II. 

FILLING    OF    BLANKS,    CONSTRUCTION    AND  . 
TRANSPOSITION  OF  SENTENCES. 

Fill    with    appropriate   words    the    following 
blanks : 

I.  The  rose  is  a and flower. 


Dictations,    Etc. 


2.  Lions  and  are  wild  and  an- 
imals. 

3.  Charles  is  a smart  boy. 

4.  Ducks  can easily the  water. 

5.  He  is  the  boy was  promoted. 

6.  The  sun  is  shining . 

7.  This  is  the  book he  read. 

8.  children obey  their  parents. 

9.  James  and  Henry home? 

10.   It  was who  wrote  the  letter. 

Have  pupils  write  original  sentences  ;  change 
statements  into  questions  and  questions  into 
statements. 


LESSON   III. 

DICTATIONS,    ETC. 

Give  frequent  dictations,  like  the  following: 
A  cat,  hearing  that  the  birds  in  a  neighbor's 
house  were  sick,  dressed  himself  like  a  doctor, 
and,  taking  with  him  his  cane  and  medicines, 
went  to  the  house,  knocked  at  the  door  and 
asked  how  all  the  birds  did,  saying  that  if  they 
were  ill,  he  would  be  happy  to  give  them  some 
medicine  and  cure  them.     The  birds  answered: 


52  Common   School   English. 

"  We  are  all  very  well  and   shall  continue  so,  if 
you  will  only  go  away  and  leave  us  as  we  are." 
Require  the  pupils   to  copy  correctly  lessons 
from  their  readers. 


LESSON    IV. 

COMBINATION   OF  SENTENCES. 

Combine    into   sentences    (Second    Year    at 
School)  the  following  independent  statements  : 

1.  The  boys  skated. 

2.  It  was  in  the  winter. 

3.  They  skated  on  the  lake. 

1.  Amy  wrote  a  letter. 

2.  She  wrote  to  her  mamma. 

3.  It  was  a  nice  letter. 

4.  It  was  a  lo7ig\^\XQX. 

1.  Eva  can  draw. 

2.  She  studies  history. 

3.  She  studies  music. 

4.  She  studies  geography. 

1.  Gold  was  discovered. 

2.  It  was  discovered  in  California. 

3.  It  was  discovered  in  January. 


Specimen   Reproduction.  53 

4.  It  was  discovered  in  1848. 

5.  It  was  discovered  by  James  W.  Marshall. 

1.  The  man  was  working. 

2.  He  was  in  the  garden. 

3.  He  Jiad  a  spade  in  his  hand. 

4.  He  zvote  a  straw  hat. 

5.  He  was  dressed  in  black. 

Continue  this  exercise  throughout  the  year. 


LESSON    V. 

SPECIMEN  REPRODUCTION. 

Read  short  selections,  like  the  following,  and 
have  them  reproduced  by  pupils  in  their  own 
language : 

THE    FOX    AND   THE    HEN. 

A  hungry  fox,  one  day,  while  looking  for 
something  to  eat,  spied  a  hen  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree,  scratching  in  the  earth  for  worms. 

Upon  the  tree  there  hung  a  drum,  which 
would  make  a  noise  whenever  the  wind  blew 
the  branches  against  it. 

The  fox  was  about  to  seize  the  hen  when  the 
drum  beat.     "  Oh  oh!  "  said  he,  "  are  you  there? 


54  Common   School   English. 

I  will  be  with  you  soon.  Surely,  you  must  have 
more  flesh  upon  you  than  a  lean  hen."  So  say- 
ing-, he  climbed  up  the  tree  and  the  hen,  in  the 
meantime,  made  her  escape. 

When  the  fox  had  torn  off  the  head  of  the 
drum  and  found  that  it  was  empty,  he  sighed 
and  said:  "  Unlucky  wretch  that  I  am!  What 
a  nice  hen  I  have  lost  in  trying  to  get  a  better 
meal ! " 

Following  is  a  specimen  reproduction,  as 
written  by  a  third  year  boy  : 

THE    FOOLISH    FOX. 

One  day,  a  hungry  fox  saw  a  hen,  by  a  tree» 
scratching  and  hunting  for  worms. 

On  the  branches  of  the  tree  hung  a  drum,  and, 
when  the  wind  blew,  the  drum  would  beat. 

The  fox  was  just  going  to  grab  the  hen,  when 
the  drum  made  a  noise.  "  Oh ! "  said  the  fox, 
"I  will  have  you  too!"  So  he  climbed  up  the 
tree  and  got  the  drum.  The  hen,  seeing  a 
chance,  ran  off  as  fast  as  she  could. 

The  fox  tore  off  the  top  of  the  drum  and  was 
much  disappointed  to  find  it  empty. 

Eddie  Brien, 

Lincoln  Grammar  School,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


Tales   for   Reproduction.  55 


LESSON    VI. 

TALES  FOR  REPRODUCTION. 

Use  the  following  tales  for  similar  reproduc- 
tion exercises: 

THE    DOG    AND    HIS    SHADOW. 

A  big  dog,  with  a  piece  of  meat  in  his  mouth, 
was  one  day  crossing  a  bridge  over  a  river,  when 
he  saw  his  shadow  in  the  water.  He  thought  that 
it  was  another  dog,  with  a  larger  piece  of  meat. 
So,  he  dropped  his  own  meat  and  flew  at  the 
shadow  thinking,  thus,  to  get  the  larger  piece. 
But,  the  greedy  dog  made  a  sad  mistake.  The 
piece  of  meat  he  dropped  was  swept  away  by 
the  current;  while,  that  which  he  saw  in  the 
water,  was  only  a  shadow  and  could  not  be  eaten. 
The  dog  then  saw  that  he  had  lost  his  own  meat 
and  got  nothing  in  place  of  it. 

THE    BOY    AND   THE    WOLF. 

A  boy,  who  watched  a  flock  of  sheep  near  a 
village,  was  in  the  habit  of  alarming  the  people 
by  calling  out:  "Wolf!  Wolf!"  When  the 
men  came  to  his  aid,  the  boy  would  laugh  at 
them  for  their  trouble,  because  there  was  no  wolf 
to  be  seen.     But,  at  last,  the  wolf  truly  did  come. 


56  Common   School   English. 

Then,  the  boy  was  very  much  frightened  and 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice :  *'  Come !.  Help  ! 
The  wolf  is  killing  the  sheep  !  "  But  the  villagers 
had  been  fooled  so  often  by  him  that  no  one 
took  any  notice  of  his  cries,  or  went  near  him. 
The  wolf  killed  nearly  all  the  sheep.  Then,  the 
lying  shepherd-boy  was  very  sorry  that  he  had 
not  always  spoken  the  truth.  But,  liars  are  not 
believed  even  when  they  do  speak  the  truth. 

THE    CRUEL    CHILDREN. 

A  very  old  man  once  lived  with  his  son  and 
daughter-in-law.  The  old  man  was  deaf  and 
almost  blind.  When  eating  his  dinner,  he  often 
spilled  his  soup  over  the  table  cloth.  His 
children  were. so  angry  at  this,  that  they  made 
him  sit  in  a  corner  behind  the  stove,  where  they 
gave  him  his  meals  in  a  wooden  bowl.  Neither 
did  the  poor,  old-  man  get  enough  to  eat.  He 
was,  accordingly,  very  sad  and  his  eyes  would 
often  fill  with  tears.  His  little  grandson,  a  child 
only  five  years  of  age,  was  busy  one  day  put- 
ting together  some  pieces  of  wood.  His  grandpa 
asked  him  what  he  was  making.  "I  am  mak- 
ing a  wooden  trough  for  papa  and  mamma  to 
eat  out  of  when  I  have  grown  to  be  a  man,"  the 
boy  answered.     At  these  words,  the   man   and 


Tales  for  Reproduction.  57 


his  wife  looked  at  each  other  and  were  much 
ashamed  of  their  cruel  conduct  toward  the  old 
man.  Grandpa  was  given  back  his  old  seat  at 
the  table  and  his  children,  in  future,  did  not  say 
anything  when  he  spilled  his  soup  upon  the 
table  cloth. 

THE    GIANT    GIRL'S    TOY. 

At  the  top  of  a  high  mountain,  was  once  an 
old  castle,  which  for  many,  long  years  had  been 
the  home  of  a  giant.  He  had  an  only  child. 
She  was  a  girl  eight  years  old,  but  fifty  times  as 
big  and  strong  as  any  of  the  girls  in  the  world 
to-day.  Her  name  was  Trixie.  She  did  not 
have  any  dolls  to  play  with,  but  she  was  very 
fond  of  sport.  So,  one  day,  she  came  down 
from  the  mountain,  into  the  valley  below,  to  look 
for  a  toy.  She  soon  saw  a  farmer,  with  two 
horses,  plowing  the  ground  in  a  wheat  field- 
Kneeling  down,  she  spread  out  her  apron  and 
swept  into  it  the  man,  the  horses  and  the  plow. 
Then,  she  ran  back  to  the  castle  and  put  them 
all  upon  the  table.  "  Oh !  papa,"  said  Tri.xie, 
"see  what  a  pretty  plaything  I  have  found  down 
in  the  valley !  "  and  she  clapped  her  hands  and 
laughed  and  danced  with  delight.  But  the  giant 
looked  serious  and   answered:   "That  is   not  a 


58  Common   School   English. 

toy,  my  child.  If  the  farmer  did  not  cultivate 
the  land,  we  should  soon  die  of  hunger.  So,  you 
must  take  the  little  creature  carefully  back  to 
the  field  where  you  found  him."  Trixie  cried 
for  a  while  and  then  did  as  she  was  told. 


LESSON   VII. 

IvKTTER    WRITING. 

Teach  pupils  how  to  write  friendly  letters. 
Every  letter  may  be  divided  into  the  following 
parts : 

1.  The  heading,  showing  when  and  where  the 
letter  is  written;  as,  San  Jose,  Cal,  May  i,  1887. 

2.  The  salutation,  which  varies  according  to 
the  relations  existing  between  the  writer  and 
the  person  addressed;  as,  Sir,  Madam,  Dear  Sir, 
Dear  Madam,  Friend  Carlton,  Dear  Friend,  My 
dear  Friend,  Dear  James,  My  dear  James,  My 
dear  Mother,  Dear  Brother,  Dear  Sister  Lizzie, 
etc. 

3.  The  body  of  the  letter,  comprising  all  that 
is  contained  between  the  salutation  and  the 
subscription. 

4.  The   sidiscription;  as,   Yours,  Yours   truly, 


LerrER   Writing.  59 


Yours  respectfully,  Yours  faithfully,  Yours  sin- 
cerely, Truly  yours,  Respectfully,  Most  respect- 
fully yours,  Sincerely  yours,  Very  truly  yours. 
Your  sincere  friend,  Yours  as  ever,  Affection- 
ately yours,  Your  dutiful  son.  Your  loving 
daughter,  etc.  The  form  varies,  as  in  the  salu- 
tation, according  to  the  relation  of  the  parties- 

5.  The  sig-natiire  or  name  of  the  writer. 

6.  The  address,  comprising  the  name  and  res- 
idence of  the  person  to  whom  the  letter  is 
written,  like  the  superscription  on  the  envelope. 

It  is  customary  to  write  the  address  at  the 
dose  of  friendly  letters,  but,  in  business  letters,  it 
is  written  directly  after  the  headijig. 

Mr.,  Mrs.,  Master  and  Miss,  are  the  titles  in 
common  use,  in  addressing  the  envelope;  as,  in 
the  following  models : 


1  Superscription.  J 

STAMP. 

Miss  Ada  L.  Starr, 

426  Fifth  Avenue, 

J^eiv  York  City,  J^ ,  Y. 

(>0  Common   School   English. 


STAMP. 


Charles  F .  (Rollins j 
T.  0.  (Box  84; 

San  Francisco^  Cal, 


• 

STAMP. 

Mr.  F.  H,  Mitchell, 

(Petaluma^ 

Sonoma  Co.^  Cal. 

STAMP 


Mrs.  Ida  (k.  Jackson, 
246  State  Street, 

(Boston,  Mass. 


Letter   Writing.  61 


STAMP. 


Master  Willie  S.  ^Pond, 
Virginia  City, 

J^evada 


Military  men  should  be  addressed  as  Lieu- 
tenant, Captain,  Major,  Colonel,  General,  etc., 
according  to  their  rank. 

The  titles  Reverend,  Reverend  Doctor  and 
Right  Reverend  arc  applied  to  the  clergy. 

Dr.  and  M.  D.  are  the  titles  given  to  medical 
men. 

Professor  is  the  title  commonly  given  to 
heads  of  departments  in  colleges,  universities, 
etc. 

Hon.  is  the  title  applied  to  Mayors  of  cities. 
Judges,  Congressmen,  State  Senators,  etc. 

Fay  special  attention  to  the  spacing,  para- 
graphing, punctuating  and  forms  of  beginning, 
ending  and  addressing  letters;  as  illustrated  in 
the  accompanying  models: 


62  Common    School   English. 

[i.   Heading.] 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  May  6,  1887. 

[2.   Salutation.] 

Dear  Nellie  : 

[3-   Body.] 

Mother  said  that  I  could  write  and  invite  you 
to  spend  your  vacation  with  me. 

Do  you  think  you  can  come?  I  hope  so. 
What  fun  we  shall  have  when  you  arrive ! 

I  will  take  you  to  Golden  Gate  Park,  Wood- 
ward's Gardens,  the  Presidio  and  the  Clifif 
House.  In  the  evenings,  we  can  go  to  the 
theaters  and  give  parties.  I  will  do  all  I  can  to 
make  it  pleasant  for  you. 

Be  sure  to  come.  I  will  meet  you  at  the 
depot. 

[4.   Subscription.] 

Yours  affectionately, 

[5.  Signature.] 

Helen. 

[6.  Address.] 

Mzss  Nellie  Loiv,  Carson  City,  Nevada. 

[i.   Heading.] 

Carson  City,  Nev.,  May  12,  1887. 

[2.  Salutation.] 

My  dear  Helen  : 

[3-  Body.] 

I  received  your  kind  letter  inviting  me  to 
visit  you  and  was  delighted  when  mamma  said 
I  might  go  and  stay  a  week  with  you. 

I  have  never  been  in  San  Francisco,  but  have 


Oral   Information.  63 


heard  much  about  it  and  shall  be  glad  to  see  it. 
You  may  expect    me  next    Monday.     Papa 
has  to  go  to  the  city  on   business  and  will  take 
me  with  him.         I  remain,  with  much  love, 

[4.  Subscription.] 

Your  sincere  friend, 

(5.  Signature.] 

Emma. 

(6.  .Address.  I 

^Fiss  ffr/t'fi  Martin,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


LESSON    VIII. 

ORAL     INFORMATION. 

In  conversational  lessons,  give  the  following 
information  about  gold,  sheep,  tin,  camels  and 
starch.  Then,  have  pupils  write  compositions, 
telling  what  they  have  learned  about  each  ob- 
ject: 

GOLD. 

Gold,  the  most  precious  of  metals,  is  found 
in  many  parts  of  the  earth.  It  is  a  compara- 
tively soft  and  heavy  metal.  A  grain  of  gold, 
the  size  of  a  pin's  head,  can  be  beaten  out  to 
cover  a  wide  space;  and  a  fine,  gold  wire  will 
sustain  a  weight  of  five  hundred  pounds.     The 


64  Common   School   English. 

color  of  gold  is  a  beautiful  yellow.  When  it 
comes  from  the  mine,  mixed  with  rock,  the  ore 
is  crushed  to  a  powder  and  the  gold  separated 
from  it  by  the  use  of  quick-silver.  Next,  the 
gold  is  worked  into  bullion  and  sent  to  the  mint 
to  be  coined.  A  great  deal  of  gold  is  used  by 
jewelers  in  the  manufacture  of  rings,  pins, 
bracelets,  watches,  etc.  The  weight  of  gold  is 
from  nineteen  to  twenty  times  that  of  water. 

SHEEP. 

Sheep  are  of  great  use  to  man.  Male  sheep 
are  called  rams;  female  sheep,  ewes;  and  young 
sheep,  lambs.  The  wool,  which  covers  the 
bodies  of  sheep,  keeps  them  warm  in  cold 
weather.  Some  sheep  have  long,  twisted  horns 
and  are  very  vicious.  The  long-tailed  sheep  have 
fat  tails,  which  are  often  fastened  to  boards  to 
keep  them  from  dragging  on  the  ground.  The 
black-faced  sheep  are  very  tenacious  of  life. 
The  wool  of  sheep  is  very  valuable.  From  it, 
we  make  clothing.  The  skins  of  sheep  give  us 
leather.  Sheep,  also,  give  us  mutton.  They 
run  in  herds  and  feed  mostly  upon  grass. 

TIN. 

Tin  has  been  in  use  in  the  world  for  a  very 


Oral  Information.  65 

long  time.  It  is  of  a  silvery  white  color  and 
comes  out  of  mines  in  the  earth.  Next  to 
lead,  it  is  the  softest  of  metals;  its  weight  is 
only  seven  times  that  of  water.  Tin  can  be 
drawn  out  into  fine  wires  and  beaten  into  thin 
sheets.  It  is  used,  principally,  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  tin  cups,  plates,  pans,  kettles,  pails,  etc. 
Enfjland  is  the  greatest  tin  producing  country 
in  the  world. 

CAMELS. 

The  home  of  the  camel  is  in  Asia  and  Africa. 
It  has  a  long  neck,  small  head,  big  eyes  and  a 
hump  on  its  back.  Some  camels  have  two 
humps  on  their  backs.  The  camel  is  used  for 
carrying  goods  across  the  deserts  and  is  often 
called  '' tJie  ship  of  the  desert^  Camels  have 
cushions  on  the  soles  of  their  feet  and  are,  thus, 
adapted  to  travel  over  the  sandy  deserts.  The 
tread  of  the  camel  is  noiseless  and  its  long  eye- 
lashes shade  its  eyes  from  the  glare  of  the  sun. 
It  can  close  its  nostrils,  at  will,  and  thus  keep 
out  of  them  the  drifting  .sand.  The  camel  has 
a  peculiarly  formed  stomach  and  can  travel  for 
many  days  without  water.  It  can,  also,  live  a 
long  time  upon  very  little  food.  The  hump 
5 


Q^  Common   School   English. 

upon  its  back,  from  which  it  draws  nourishment, 
then  becomes  much  smaller.  The  camel  is  gen- 
tle and  patient.  The  Arabs  drink  its  milk  and 
eat  its  flesh.  From  the  hair  of  camels,  we  make 
brushes  and  camel's  hair  shawls. 

STARCH. 

Starch  is  a  white  substance,  with  hardly  any 
smell  or  taste.  It  is  contained  in  the  seeds  of 
peas  and  beans,  the  roots  of  potatoes,  the  pith 
of  the  sago  palm,  etc.  Starch  is  insoluble  in 
cold  water,  but  combines  with  warm  water  into 
a  sort  of  jelly.  The  grains  of  starch  are,  gen- 
erally, round  or  oval  and  tolerably  uniform  in 
size.  Starch  is  in  common  use  in  laundries,  to 
stiffen  clothes;  it  is,  also,  used  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  brandy,  grape  sugar,  etc.  Wheat  starch 
is  sometimes  used  for  medicinal  purposes. 


LESSON    IX. 

ORIGINAI.     DRSCRIPTIONS. 

Develop,  through  conversational  lessons  upon 
pictures,  original  descriptions,  like  the  following: 

THE     FIRESIDE. 

Mrs.  Smith  is  a  nurse.     She  has  six  children: 


iHt    !•  IKt>>ll>t.. 


Original   Descripiions.  69 

Tom,  May,  Frank,  Katie,  Isabel  and  Bertie. 
1^'rank  is  the  eldest  child  and  takes  charge  of  the 
house  in  his  mother's  absence.  Mrs.  Smith's 
husband  was  killed.  She  has  to  work  for  her 
living  and  take  care  of  her  children.  One  cold, 
winter's  night,  Mrs.  Smith  was  called  to  a  house 
where  a  child  was  very  sick.  She  left  the  chil- 
dren in  care  of  Frank.  He  took  the  baby  in 
his  arms  and  told  the  children  to  come  around 
the  fire  and  he  would  tell  them  a  story.  So,  they 
all  gathered  round  him  to  hear  the  story.  Tom 
sat  down  by  the  fireplace.  Frank  hung  the 
baby's  clothes  upon  a  peg  on  the  wall.  While 
he  was  telling  the  story,  Katie  and  May  fell 
asleep.  Willi?:  Hunt, 

Lincoln  Grammar  School,  San  Francisco^  Cal. 

The  above  was  written  by  a  pupil  during  his 
third  year  at  school.  The  picture  of  "  Puss  and 
the  l^ird  "  was  treated  orally  in  the  First  Year 
at  School.  A  comparison  of  that  description, 
with  tlu:  folloiving  written  description,  by  a  third 
year  pupil,  illustrates  the  progress  possible  in  the 
intervening  time: 


70  Common   School  English. 


PUSS  AND   THE  BIRD. 

There  was  once  a  little  girl  who  had  two  pets, 
a  cat  and  a  canary  bird.  One  warm  day,  she 
thought  that  she  would  hang  the  cage,  in  which 
the  bird  was,  out  in  the  sun.  As  the  bird  was 
new,  puss  was  not  used  to  it,  and  the  bird  the 
same.  While  the  little  girl  was  playing,  she  for- 
got about  the  bird,  but  the  cat  did  not.  It  was 
trying  to  kill  the  bird  all  the  time.  When  the 
girl  came  to  take  the  bird  in,  she  found  the  cat 
and  said  :  "  Go  into  the  house."  The  cat  did 
not  obey,  but  tried  to  get  the  bird.  Do  you  not 
think  the  cat  was  cruel  ? 

Frank  Brann, 

Lincoln  Grammar  School^  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


1)   THE    HIRD. 


FOURTH  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 


FOURTH  YEAR  AT. SCHOOL 


leach  the  simple  uses,  in  sentences,  of  the 
comma,  in  addition  to  capital  letters,  the  period, 
the  question  mark,  the  exclamation  point,  the  quo- 
tation marks  and  the  apostrophe. 

Continue  the  conversational  lessons  upon  objects 
and  pictures,  also,  the  combination  and  repro- 
duction exercises. 

The  division  of  sentences  into  complete  sub- 
jects and  complete  predicates;  nouns,  their  sin- 
gular, plural  and  possessive  forms  are  also  taught. 

Instruction  in  the  ivriting  of  friendly  letters 
is  continued,  and  social  and  business  forms,  and 
business  correspondence  are  introduced. 


76  Common   School   English. 


LESSON  I. 

SUBJECT   AND   PREDICATE,    ETC. 

When  we  write,  girls  sing^  we  make  a  state- 
ment about  girls.  Such  statements  are  sentences 
All  sentences  may  be  divided  into  two  distinct 
parts ;  viz.,  the  part  about  which  something  is 
spoken  or  written,  called  the  subject ;  and  what 
is  written  or  spoken  about  the  subject,  called 
the  predicate.  The  little  boy  was  badly  hurt. 
In  this  sentence,  "  the  little  boy,"  is  the  complete 
subject,  and,  ''  was  badly  hurt,"  the  complete  predi- 
cate. 

Direct  pupils  to  divide  each  of  the  following 
sentences  into  its  complete  subject  and  complete 
predicate: 

1.  The  picture  is  pretty. 

2.  Little  Kate  was  very  sick. 

3.  Some  birds  can  sing  very  sweetly. 

4.  Boys  and  girls  like  to  play. 

5.  Was  the  big  ship  sailing  over  the  sea  ? 
Write   three   sentences   about    horses;    three 

about  cozvs ;  three  about  dogs ;  and  three  about 
children. 

Make    sentences    by    filling    the     following 
blanks  ; 


Nouns.  77 


1.  fly. 

2.  run. 

3.  Boys . 

4.  Cows . 

5-  sing. 

6.  Children  — 

7. shines. 

8.  The  wind  — 


9.  Do twinkle? 

10.  Oh  ! the rainbow  ! 

Teach  that  EVERY  SENTENCE  BEGINS  WITH 
A  CAPITAL  LETTER  ;  that  EVERY  STATEMENT 
ENDS  WITH  A  PERIOD  ;  that  EVERY  QUESTION 
ENDS  WITH  A  QUESTION  MARK  ;  that  EVERY 
EXCLAMATION  ENDS  WITH  AN  EXCLAMATION 
POINT. 


LESSON     II. 

NOUNS. 

Objects  are  given  names,  so  as  to  distinguish 
them  one  from  another,  when  we  speak  or  write 
about  them.  One  object  is  named  a  chair ; 
another,  a  book  ;  another,  a  cow.  These  words, 
chair,  book  and  coiv  are  called  N ami:- words, 
or  NOUNS. 


78  Common   School   English. 

Pick  out  the  nouns,  in  the  following  sentences: 

1.  London,  England,  is  the  largest  city   in 
the  world. 

2.  Pennsylvania    produces    more    coal    and 
iron  than  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 

3.  The  Mississippi  is    the    longest    river   in 
North  America. 

4.  The    Pacific    Ocean    was    discovered     by 
Balboa. 

5.  America  was  discovered    by    Christopher 
Columbus. 

Fill  the  following  blanks  with  nouns: 

I. was  the  first  President  of  the  United 

States. 

2.  Birds  build in . 

3.  Are  the ripe  ? 

4.  Oh  !  how  brave  are  the ! 

5.  make  honey. 


LESSON    III. 

SINGUI.AR  AND  PIvURAL  FORMS  OF   NOUNS. 
Boy  means  one  person.     When  it  is  used  in 
this    way,    and    refers    to    only    one  person,   or 
thing,    it    is  called    THE    SINGULAR     FORM     OF 

THE   NOUN. 


Nouns.  79 


Cat,  horse,  box,  do^a;  and  valley  are  singular 
nouns. 

The  word  boys,  meaning  more  than  one,  is 
termed  THE  PLURAL   FORM   OF   THE   NOUN. 

Cats,  horses,  boxes,  dogs  and  valleys  are 
plural  7iouns. 

The  plural  of  these  nouns  is  formed,  as  may 
be  seen,  by  the  addition  of  s  or  es  to  the  singu- 
lar, as  boy,  boys  ;  box,  boxes. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns  : 

Bird,  kiss,  house,  ball,  tax,  match,  flower,  dish, 
bear  and  bench. 

Write  the  singular  of  the  following  nouns : 

Trees,  books,  dresses,  glasses,  chairs,  apples, 
girls,  carpets,  foxes  and  sashes. 

While  the  plural  of  most  nouns  is  formed,  as 
illustrated,  by  the  addition  of  .$■  or  es  to  the 
singular,  still,  the  plural  of  ma7iy  nouns  is 
formed  differently. 

Sometimes,  in  nouns  ending  in  y,  like  sky, 
story,  lady  and  balcony,  the  plural  is  formed  by 
changing  the  j'  into  /  and  adding  es;  thus,  skies, 
stories,  ladies  and  balconies. 

The  plural  of  some  7iouns  ending  in  /,  or  fe, 
like  wife,  thief,  wolf  and  life,  is  formed  by 
changing  the/  ox  fe  into  v  and  adding  es\  thus, 
wives,  thieves,  wolves  and  lives. 


80  Common   School  English. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns: 
Injury,  knife,  party,  loaf,  quality,  leaf,  beauty, 
shelf,  half  and  dutv. 


LESSON    IV. 

POSSESSIVE  FORMS  OF  NOUNS. 

When,  as  in  the  sentence,  the  boy's  hat  was 
lost,  we  wish  to  show  that  the  boy  owns  or  pos- 
sesses the  hat,  we  write  an  apostrophe  and  s  after 
the  singular  noun,  boy.  This  sentence  simply 
shows  that  the  hat  of  one  boy  was  lost.  If,  on 
the  contrary,  we  wish  to  show  that  more  than 
one  boy  lost  their  hats,  we  write  the  sentence 
thus  :    The  boys'  hats  were  lost. 

The  idea  of  possession,  in  singular  ftottns,  is 
denoted  by  adding  an  apostrophe  and  s;  as,  boy, 
boy's.  This  is  called  the  POSSESSIVE  FORM  OF 
THE  NOUN. 

The  idea  of  possession  in  plural  nouns,  is  gen- 
erally denoted  by  adding  an  apostrophe ;  as,  boys, 
boys.' 

Write  the  following  nouns  in  sentences,  show- 
ing possession :  Girl,  man,  cow,  box,,  horses, 
books,  desks,  children,  men  and  trees. 


Combination   of  Sentences.  81 

LESSON    V. 

COMHINATION  OF  SKNTKNCES. 

Combine    the   following   independent    state- 
ments into  sentences : 

1.  Washington  was  a  great  man. 

2.  He  was  a  good  man. 

3.  He  was  a  7iobie  man. 

4.  He  is  called  the  ''Father  of  His  Count ryT 

1.  Edgar  has  a  dog. 

2.  He  has  di  pony. 

3.  He  has  some  pigeons. 

4.  He  lives  in  the  country. 

1.  Ribbons  are  sold  in  dry  goods  stores. 

2.  They  slvq  pretty. 

3.  They  are  of  different  colors. 

4.  They  are  used  for  trimming. 

1.  Charles  reads  books. 

2.  He  reads  good  books. 

3.  He  reads  slowly. 

4.  He  reads  silently. 

5.  He  reads  to  improve  his  mind. 

1.  Grant  was  an  American. 

2.  He  was  a  General. 

3.  He  was  brave, 

6 


82  Common   School   English. 

4.  He  was  successful. 

5.  He  was  also  President  of  the  United  States. 
Continue  this  exercise  throughout  the  year. 


LESSON    VI. 

FRIENDLY  LETTER  WRITING. 

Continue  to  give  exercises  in  the  writing  of 
friendly  letters.  Pay  particular  attention  to  the 
style  of  begin?ting  and  ending;  also  to  punctuat- 
ing and  paragraphing,  as  illustrated  in  the  fol- 
lowing models : 

Sacramento,  Cal.,  May  17,  1887. 
Dear  Frank  : 

I  arrived  here  Saturday  and  cousin  Harry 
met  me  at  the  depot. 

We  have  been  visiting  different  places  of  in- 
terest in  the  capital  city  and  I  am  having  a  fine 
time. 

The  Capitol,  where  they  make  the  laws  for 
California,  is  a  big  building  with  beautiful 
grounds.  I  was  there  yesterday.  It  is  where 
the  Governor  has  his  office. 

I  like  Sacramento  well  enough,  except  the 
clima  e.  It  is  very  hot  here  in  summer  and,  in 
winter,  the  river  overflows.  Good-by.  Give 
my  love  to  all.  Your  brother, 

Joe. 

Frank  Taylor,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


Friendly   Letter   WRnrm;.  83 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  May  17,  1887. 
Dear  Sister  : 

I  thought  I  would  write  to-day  and  tell  you 
about  my  visit  in  the  city. 

Auntie  and  I  arrived  here  safe  last  Saturday 
morning.  We  have  a  pleasant  suite  of  rooms  at 
the  Palace  Hotel. 

I  am  having  a  delightful  time  and  wish  that 
you  were  here  too.  I  think  that  I  should  rather 
live  in  San  Francisco,  because,  here,  there  are 
so  many  places  of  amusement. 

We  went  out  to  ride  yesterday.  Oh!  Lucy, 
Golden  Gate  Park  is  lovely !  We  gathered 
shells  on  the  ocean  beach  and  took  lunch  at  the 
Cliff  House. 

To-morrow  evening,  uncle  says  he  will  take 
us  to  the  theater. 

I  have  so  much  to  tell  you  that  I  cannot  put 
it  all  upon  paper,  so  you  must  wait  until  I  get 
home. 

Give  my  love  to  mamma  and  papa,  and  kiss 
baby  for  me.  Write  soon  and  tell  me  all  the 
news.  Your  loving  sister, 

GUSSIE, 

P.  S.     How  is  the  bird  ? 

Miss  Lucy  Clark,  Sacratnento,  Cal. 


84  Common    School   English. 


LESSON    VII. 

SOCIAL  FORMS. 
Teach  the  forms  of  notes  of  invitation,  their 
replies,  and  letters  of  introduction,  according  to 
the  following  models : 

NOTE    OF     INVITATION. 

Miss  Abby  Stewart  requests  the  pleasure 
of  Mr.  William  Graham's  company,  at  a  social 
gathering,  next  Wednesday  evening,  at  half- 
past  eight  o'clock. 

C)i2  California  Street,  May  75. 

REPLY. 

Mr.  William  Graham  presents  his  com- 
pliments to  Miss  Abby  Stewart  and  accepts, 
with  pleasure,  her  kind  invitation  for  Wednes- 
day evening  next. 

"ji^  Post  Street,  May  16. 

LETTER     OF     INTRODUCTION. 

San  Francisco,  Gal.,  May  18,  1887. 
Friend  Adams  : 

I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you,  the 
bearer,  Mr.  Walter  Stone. 

He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  who  is  now  visit- 
ing your  city  for  the  first  time. 

For  any  attention  that  you  can  show  him, 
during  his  stay  in  New  York,  I  shall  be  espe- 
cially grateful.  Yours  sincerely, 

Joseph  F.  Waters. 

Henry  P.  Adams ^  64.2  Broadway,  N.  Y. 


Letter   of  Application.  8-^ 

It  is  not  customary  to  seal  letters  of  intro- 
duction. 

The  superscription,  or  the  address  upon  the 
envelope,  should  be  according  to  the  following 
model : 


Henry  (P.  Adams^ 
642  Broadway^ 

J^ew  York  City, 

Introducine^  Mr.  Stone  7\J       V" 


LESSON    VIII. 

BUSINESS  FORMS. 
The  following  is  a  form  of  a  letter  of  appli- 
cation, to  be  taught  to  pupils: 

LETTER     OF     APPLIC.\TION. 
(Heading.] 

San  Francisco,  May  12,  1887. 

(Address.] 

Mkssr.s.  J.  J.  O'Brikn  &  Co., 

[Salutation.] 

Gentlemen: 

|P.o<ly.j 

Seeing  your  advertisement  in  to-day's  Ckroni- 


86  Common   School   English. 

cle,  for  a  salesman,  I  write  to  apply  for  the  posi- 
tion. 

I  have  had  some  experience  in  your  line  of 
business  and  am   sure  that   I  could  suit  you. 

I  enclose  letters  of  recommendation  from  my 
former  employers. 

Hoping  that  you  will  favorably  consider  my 
application  and  oblige  me  with  an  early  reply, 
I  am,  sirs, 

[Subscription.] 

Yours  respectfully, 

[Signature.] 

Frank  Harris. 

64.  Oak  Street. 

Teach  the  following  forms  of  the  bill  and 
receipt: 

BILL. 

San  Francisco,  June  i,  1887. 
Mr.  Chas.  Martin, 

Bought  of  Wellman,  Peck  &  Co., 

10  lbs.  Java  Coffee     -     -     -     @      .40  $4.00 

5    "    Black  Tea    -     -     -     -    "  $1.20  6.00 

12    "    White  Sugar  -     -     -   -"       .14  1.68 

4  gals.  Syrup    ------       .37;^        1.50 


$13.18 
Received  Payment, 

Wellman,  Peck  &  Co. 

RI  CEIPTS. 

New  York,  June  i,  1887. 

$375roV 

Received  of  Ivison,  Biakeman  &  Co.,  Three 


A   Series  of   Business   Letters.  87 

Hundred  Seventy-five  and   jj^  Dollars,  on  ac- 
count. James  Scott. 

San  Francisco,  June  2,  1887. 
$500. 

Received  of   William   Curtis,  Five   Hundred 
Dollars,  in  full  of  all  demands. 

Payot,  Upham  &  Co. 


LESSON    IX. 

A  SERIES  OF  BUSINESS  LETTERS. 

A  complete  business  transaction  is  shown  in 
the  following  series  of  letters  : 

NO.    I.    OPENING     BUSINESS. 

Stockton,  Cal.,  May  i,  1887. 
Messrs.  Tillman  &  Bendel, 

San  Francisco. 

Gentlemen : 
Having  just  opened  a  retail  grocery  business 
in  this  city,  with  a  cash  capital  of  five  thousand 
dollars  ($5,000),  I   shall   be  glad   to  trade  with 
your  house,  if  we  can  agree  as  to  terms. 

For  evidence  as  to  my  business  standing,  I 
beg  to  refer  you  to  the  Hank  of  California. 
What  are  the  best  terms  you  can  give  me  ? 

Yours  truly, 
James  R.  Roman. 


88  Common   School  English. 


NO.    2.    CREDIT     ESTABLISHED. 

San  Francisco,  Cal,  May  4,  1887. 
Mr.  James  R.  Roman, 

Stockton,  Cal. 

Dear  Sir: 

Yours  of  May  i  is  received  and  contents  noted. 

Your  references   are  entirely  satisfactory  and 

we  shall  be  pleased  to  sell  you  any  goods  in  our 

line,   upon  the  following  terms  :  half  cash  and 

the  balance  in  thirty  days. 

We  enclose  our  price  list  and  await  an  early 
order  from  you.  Respectfully, 

Tillman  &  Bendel. 

NO.    3.    GOODS    ORDERED. 

Stockton,  Cal.,  May  6,  1887. 
Messrs.  Tillman  &  Bendel, 

San  Francisco. 

Dear  Sirs: 
Please  send  me,  via.  C.  P.  R.  R., — 
50  cases  Coal  Oil, 
10  bbls.  C.  Sugar, 
5  sks.  C.  R.  Coffee, 
30  kits  No.  I  Mackerel, 

Yours  respectfully, 
James  R.  Roman. 

NO.    4.    ADVICE     OF     SHIPMENT, 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  May  10,  1887. 
James  R.  Roman, 

Stockton. 

Dear  Sir: 
We  have  shipped,  this  day,  according  to  your 


A   Series   of   Business   Letters.  89 

order,  goods  as  per.  enclosed  bill  and  shipping 
receipt.  Very  truly  yours, 

Tillman  &  Bendll. 

NO.    5.    GOODS     received. 

Stockton,  Cal.,  May  16,  1887. 
Tillman  &  Bendel, 

San  Francisco. 

Dear  Sirs: 
Yours  of  the  loth  inst,  with  bill  and  shipping 
receipt,  came  duly  to  hand. 

The  merchandise  was  received  in  good  con- 
dition. 

Enclosed  find  check,  on  Bank  of  California, 
for  one  hundred  seventy-five  dollars  ($175), 
which  amt.  you  will  please  credit  to  my  acct. 

Yours  truly, 

James  R.  Roman. 

NO.    6.    PAYMENT    ACKNOWLEDGED. 

San  Franclsco,  Cal.,  May  20,  1887. 
James  R.  Roman, 

Stockton. 

AFy  dear  Sir  : 
We  enclose  receipt  for  one  hundred  seventy- 
five  dollars  ($175),  with   which  sum  you   have 
been  duly  credited. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 
Tillman  &  Bendel. 


90  Common  School  English. 

L  E  wS  S  O  N     X . 

ORAL  INFORMATION. 

In  conversational  lessons,  give  the  following 
information  about  eagles,  elephants,  hemp,  lions 
and  iron.  Then,  have  pupils  write  compositions 
upon  each  subject : 

EAGLES. 

Eagles,  of  which  there  are  several  kinds,  have 
rather  short,  curved  beaks,  broad  wings,  strong 
legs  and  sharp,  strong  claws.  The  white- 
headed,  or  bald  eagle,  of  America  is  a  large, 
beautiful  bird.  It  has  white  feathers  upon  its 
head,  neck  and  tail,  while  the  rest  of  its  plumage 
is  of  a  dark  brown  color.  Its  bill,  legs  and  feet 
are  of  a  bright  yellow.  It  is  a  bird  of  prey  and 
likes  to  eat  fishes,  which  it  steals  from  the  fish- 
hawks.  The  eagle,  also,  feeds  upon  wild  ducks, 
and,  sometimes,  carries  away  lambs  and  pigs. 
Generally,  the  eagle  builds  its  nest  in  some  tall 
tree,  near  a  lake,  or  river.  The  eagle  can  fly 
very  high  ;  is  celebrated  for  its  strength  and 
courage,  and  is  commonly  called  the  "  King  of 
Birds."  Sometimes,  the  eagle  lives  a  hundred 
years. 


Oral  Information. 


ELEPHANTS. 

The  elephant  is  the  largest  of  all  land  ani- 
mals. Its  home  is  in  Asia  and  Africa,  where  it 
is  seen  in  herds.  The  skin  of  the  elephant  is 
very  tough.  It  has  a  big  head,  small  eyes,  a 
short,  thick  neck,  long,  wide  ears  and  stout  legs. 

An  elephant  is,  usually,  eight  or  ten  feet 
high  and  weighs  about  ten  thousand  pounds. 
The  elephant  has  two,  enormous  tusks,  from 
which  comes  the  ivory,  used  for  making  combs, 
knife-handles,  chess-men,  billiard-balls,  etc.  Its 
long  and  limber  trunk  is  used  as  a  hand  by  the 
elephant.  It  takes  food  and  water  into  its 
mouth  through  this  wonderful  trunk,  with  which 
it  can  also  pick  up  a  pin,  or  uproot  a  big  tree. 
Elephants  eat  leaves  and  plants.  They  are 
very  fond  of  sugar-cane  and  the  milk  of  the 
cocoa-nut.  The  elephant  is,  naturally,  a  harm- 
less animal,  but  dangerous  if  abused.  It  lives 
to  be  one  or  two  hundred  years  old;  is  easily 
tamed,  intelligent  and  of  great  service  to   man. 

n  E  M  p  . 

Hemp  is  a  plant,  a  native  of  Asia,  which 
thrives,  also,  in  temperate  climates  in  Europe 
and  America.     The  plant  grows  to  be  from  three 


92  Common   School   English. 

to  twenty  feet  high,  according  to  the  soil  and 
climate.  The  stalk  is  filled  with  soft  pith.  At 
the  proper  time,  it  is  steeped  in  water  and 
beaten,  so  as  to  loosen  the  bark  from  the  fibers. 
Then,  it  is  carded,  spun  and  given  to  the  rope 
maker  or  weaver.  Hemp  is  very  tough  and 
pKable.  The  finest  kind  of  hemp  is  used  in 
making  cloth ;  the  coarsest  kind,  in  making  sails 
and  ropes.  The  seed  of  hemp  is  used  as  birds' 
food.  We,  also,  get  oil  from  the  seed,  which  is 
used  in  making  paint,  varnish  and  soap.  In 
Russia,  the  oil  is  burned  in  lamps. 

LIONS. 

The  lion,  called  the  "  King  of  Beasts,"  inhab- 
its the  forests  and  plains  of  Asia  and  Africa. 
He  is  as  long  as  an  ox  but  not  so  tall.  The 
lion  feeds  upon  the  antelope  and  other  animals. 
His  color  is  of  a  pale,  dingy  yellow;  his  tail  is 
long,  with  a  tuft  of  black  hair  at  the  end;  and 
his  head  and  neck  are  clothed  with  a  flowing 
mane.  The  lion  has  a  large  head  and,  when 
angry,  his  eyes  flame,  his  mane  stands  erect,  he 
shows  his  teeth,  thrusts  out  his  long,  sharp 
claws  and  presents  a  most  terrible  appearance. 
With  a  stroke  of  his  paw,  the  lion  can  crush 
the  head  of  a  big  buffalo  and,  so  great  is  his 


Oral  Information.  93 

strength,  he  can  carry  away  a  man  as  easily  as  a 
cat  can  carry  away  a  mouse.  The  lion  rests 
and  sleeps  through  the  day  and  hunts  his  prey 
at  night.  His  roar  is  awful.  The  lion  is  a 
savage,  but  noble-looking  animal  and,  generally, 
lives  to  be  thirty  or  forty  years  of  age. 

IRON. 

Iron  is  the  most  useful  of  metals.  It  is  the 
lightest  of  common  metals  except  tin.  It  is 
very  hard  and  tough,  but  can  be  drawn  out  into 
a  wire  as  fine  as  a  human  hair.  Iron  is  abund- 
ant in  nature,  but  is  always  found  mixed  with 
some  other  substance.  From  wrought  iron,  we 
make  steel, — the  most  elastic  of  all  metals  ;  it  is 
used  for  edged  tools,  etc.  Cast-iron  is  converted 
into  wrought  iron  by  a  melting  process,  called 
"blooming."  Iron  is  an  important  factor  in  the 
building  of  railroads  and  steam-ships.  It  is 
extensively  used  in  the  manufacture  of  guns, 
cannons,  plows,  etc.  The  magnetical  proper- 
ties of  iron  give  it  an  especial  value,  enabling 
the  mariner  to  steer  across  the  ocean,  also,  aid- 
ing the  land  traveler  and  the  miner.  The  load- 
stone communicates  its  powers  to  bars  of  iron, 
or  steel,  when  placed  in  contact  with  them.  In 
medicine,  iron  is  valuable  as  a  tonic. 


94  Common  School  English. 

LESSON    XI. 

TAIvES  FOR  REPRODUCTION. 

Have  pupils  reproduce,  in  their  own  language, 
the  following  tales : 

THE     WONDERFUL     SOUP     POT. 

Effie  was  a  poor,  but  pious  little  girl.  She 
lived  with  her  mother,  in  a  lonely  cottage,  in 
the  woods.  One  day,  there  was  nothing  in  the 
house  to  eat.  So,  Effie  went  out  to  look  for 
some  food  to  save  her  dear  mother  from  starving. 
She  had  not  gone  far,  when  she  met  a  gray- 
haired  old  man  who  looked  like  Santa  Claus. 
He  was  sorry  for  her.  "  Take  this  little  iron 
pot,"  he  said,  "  and,  whenever  you  are  hungry, 
say,  'boil,  little  pot,'  and  it  will  fill  with  good 
soup.  After  it  has  cooked  all  you  wish  you 
must  say,  '  stop,  little  pot,'  and  it  will  cease  to 
boil."  Effie  thanked  the  kind,  old  man  and 
took  the  pot  home  to  her  mother.  Their 
troubles  were  now  over,  for  they  could  have  hot, 
rich  soup  as  often  as  they  pleased.  The  poor 
people  for  miles  around  used  to  come  to  the 
cottage  to  get  some  soup  out  of  the  wonderful, 
little,  iron  pot. 


Tales   for   Reproduction.  05 


STAR     DOLLARS. 

A  boy,  whose  parents  were  dead,  was  so  poor 
that  he  had  nothing  left  but  the  clothes  on  his 
back  and  a  loaf  of  bread  in  his  hand.  Putting 
his  trust  in  God,  he  went  out  into  the  world. 
He  traveled  over  hills  and  through  valleys  until 
he  met  an  old  woman.  She  begged  him  for 
something  to  eat.  He  gave  her  the  whole  loaf 
of  bread  and  went  on  his  journey.  Next,  he 
met  three,  little  children  crying  and  shivering 
with  the  cold.  They  prayed  for  some  clothes 
to  make  them  warm.  So,  to  one  child,  he  gave 
his  hat ;  to  another,  his  coat ;  and,  to  another, 
his  shoes  and  stockings.  It  was  now  growing 
dark  and  the  boy  came  to  a  big  forest.  He 
was  cold  and  hungry  and  had  hardly  any  clothes 
left  to  cover  his  body.  But,  when  he  went  into 
the  forest,  a  shower  of  silver  dollars  came  down 
from  the  sky.  They  were  shaped  like  stars  and 
were  sent  by  God,  to  the  boy,  to  reward  him 
for  his  goodness.  He  had  a  warm  supper  and 
bed  that  night,  in  a  cabin  in  the  woods.  All 
the  rest  of  his  life,  he  lived  in  wealth  and  happi- 
ness. 

baby's  sail  on   the   brook. 

Bessie  Gray  was  a  good,  little  girl,  who  always 


96  Common   School   English. 

obeyed  her  parents.  Her  baby  brother  was  just 
learning  to  walk.  Mrs.  Gray  went  out,  one  day, 
and  left  him  in  Bessie's  care.  "  I'll  try  to  make 
it  pleasant  for  Tommy,"  said  Bessie.  "  Yes,  do 
my  dear,  and  when  I  come  back  I'll  give  you  a 
new  dress  for  your  doll,"  answered  her  mamma. 
Baby  was  cross  that  day  and  Bessie  did  not 
know  what  to  do  to  amuse  him.  She  took  him 
in  his  carriage  down  to  the  brook,  near  the 
house.  Tommy  did  not  like  the  ride  and  began 
to  cry.  Then,  Bessie  thought  she  would  give 
him  a  sail.  So,  she  got  a  tub  and,  tying  a  rope 
to  the  handle,  put  it  in  the  brook  and  lifted 
baby  into  it.  He  looked  pleased.  Bessie  took 
the  end  of  the  rope  in  her  hand  and  walked 
along  the  bank,  pulling  the  tub  after  her  and 
singing  a  merry  song.  But,  Tommy  could  not 
sit  still  and  soon  upset  the  tub  and  fell  into  the 
water.  A  man  heard  the  children  scream  and 
came  and  took  baby  out  of  the  water,  which 
was  not  deep.  Bessie,  then,  took  him  home  to 
dry  his  wet  clothes  and  mamma  told  her  that 
she  must  not  give  baby  any  more  sails  on  the 
brook. 

SELFISH     HARRY. 

Harry  lived  in  the  country.     He  was  a  bright, 


Talks   for   Reproduction  97 

but  selfish  boy.  When  he  had  any  candy,  he 
wished  to  eat  it  all  and  not  to  share  it  with  his 
brother  and  sister.  One  day,  his  mother  gave 
him  some  jelly  and  told  him  to  divide  it  with 
his  sister  Amy  and  his  brother  Charlie.  In- 
stead of  objying  his  mother,  Harry  hid  himself 
in  the  barn  and  ate  all  the  jelly.  His  sister 
called  to  him,  but  he  did  not  answer  her.  When 
he  came  out  of  the  barn,  Amy  told  him  that  she 
and  Charlie  had  been  eating  iced-cream  and 
strawberries  and  cake.  '*  We've  had  a  splendid 
time  and  looked  everywhere  for  you,  but  could 
not  find  you,"  she  said.  Then,  Harry  was 
much  ashamed  to  think  how  selfish  he  had  been 
and  how  much  he  had  lost,  by  not  obeying  his 
mother. 

THE     MISCHIEVOUS     PARROT. 

Sam,  a  colored  man,  was  once  a  cook  on  a 
ship.  He  saved  some  money  and  opened  a 
coffee  house  on  the  water  front,  where  all  the 
ships  and  steamers  land.  Sam  had  a  parrot 
named  Jack.  He  was  a  big  bird  with  red  and 
green  feathers  and  could  talk  very  well.  Jack 
used  to  sit  in  his  cage,  above  the  door  of  the 
coffee  house,  and  call  out  to  people  who  passed 
that  way :  "  Hot  coffee !  Who'll  have  some 
7 


98  Common   School   English. 

coffee?  Step  inside  and  get  some.  Only  ten 
cents  a  cup."  His  master  had  taught  him  to 
speak  these  words,  so  as  to  make  business  for 
the  coffee  house.  Sometimes,  Jack  would  say 
words  he  had  learned  himself  and  seemed  to 
like  to  make  mischief  A  man  once  left  his 
horse  and  cart  standing  on  the  wharf  near  the 
water  and  went  into  the  coffee  house.  While 
he  was  there,  drinking  his  coffee,  Jack  cried  out 
to  the  horse :  "  Back,  sir  !  Back  !  Back,  I  say  !  " 
The  horse  thought  his  master  was  talking  to 
him  and  so  he  backed  until  the  cart  went  ovcr 
the  edge  of  the  wharf  and  the  horse  fell  into 
the  water  and  was  almost  drowned,  when  some 
men  pulled  him  ashore.  Jack,  the  mischievous 
parrot,  after  playing  this  trick,  was  not  per- 
mitted to  perch  above  the  door  any  longer  and 
his  cage  was  taken  into  the  coffee  house. 


LESSON    XII. 

COMPOSITION. 
Continued  conversational   lessons  on  pictures 
will  give  results,  like  the  following: 
grandpa's   darling. 
It    is  a  pleasant,  old  farm-house,   with  gable 


r  ...-^'-ii-^^^.... 

1,:  « 

Sfllwif  1 ' ' 

pi  •' 

'^m 

1 

AMU'A  •^    DAKI.IM. 


Composition.  101 


windows  and  an  old-fashioned  barn.  To  this 
farm-house,  little  Violet  Grey  likes  to  come  and 
spend  the  long,  summer  months  with  her 
grandpa  and  grandma.  Violet  is  a  pretty  girl, 
with  blue  eyes,  golden  hair  and  rosy  cheeks. 
One  day,  just  before  sunset,  she  and  hergrandpa 
went  into  the  barn.  While  Violet  was  playing 
around,  grandpa  sat  down  upon  a  big  squash 
beside  some  water-melons  and  began  to  husk 
the  corn.  Violet  climbed  the  ladder  to  the  hay- 
loft and  found  a  dozen  eggs.  She  put  them 
into  her  hat  and  went  down  the  ladder.  **  Oh  ! 
grandpa,  look  at  the  eggs  in  my  hat ! "  said 
Violet.  Grandpa  seemed  pleased  and  told  her 
to  take  them  into  the  house  to  grandma  to  make 
a  cake  for  dinner.  Violet  has  on  a  white  apron 
and  a  red  dress.  If  she  break  the  eggs,  she 
will  soil  her  clothes.  It  is  a  warm  day  and 
grandpa  has  taken  off  his  coat.  His  yellow 
vest  is  open  and  he  has  on  a  pair  of  blue  over- 
alls. He  owns  a  farm  near  San  Jose.  Violet 
and  her  cousin  like  to  romp  in  the  fields  and 
pick  wild  flowers.  When  vacation  is  over, 
Violet  will  be  sorry  to  leave  grandpa  and 
grandma  and  return  to  her  home  in  the  city. 

Adne  Furness, 
Oak  Street  Prifnary  School,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


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